DeNita Ton, community services director for the Salvation Army in Michigan City, had a dream when she was a pre-teen that foreshadowed her life’s work.
“I dreamed that hundreds of people were in front of me and they were all hungry,” she said. “They were begging me for food.”
The dream became a reality when she started volunteering as a youth leader for the Salvation Army’s Sunbeam Troop, a program for needy girls that is similar to the Brownies.
“At my first meeting with the little girls, one had shoes taped together with masking tape and no socks. You could see her little toes. God was leading me in this direction.”
Ton took a full-time position with the local charity in 1972 and has continued to work there for 40 years. At one time or another, she has done every job in the organization, including janitor. Currently, she is in charge of grant writing, fundraising, donor development and public relations. She provides direct supervision to the Salvation Army Food Pantry Program, which serves 800 families each month.
The red kettle drive underway during the Christmas holiday generates operating funds that are used all year to bring basic necessities – food, clothing, shelter and transportation-- to local people in need. At Christmas, the Salvation Army provides 1,500 food baskets, more than 3,000 books and toys and another 1,000 gifts. This year, Salvation Army volunteers served Thanksgiving dinner to more than 700 people and delivered another 400 meals. Ton said the community support was tremendous.
“It was a fabulous event,” she said. “It gets better and better every year. It shows the giving nature of this community. If they know there’s a need, they’re going to dig deep. It’s a very loving, caring community.”
Ton established the Salvation Army’s Summer Shelter and Resource Center for homeless men in the community.
“My dad died at 55 and when I see someone about his age, it touches me so much,” she said, referring to older men living on the streets of Michigan City.
Ton’s father was a welder for the Pullman freight car plant and dealt with occasional layoffs. As a young girl, Ton’s family shuttled to and from Kentucky to stay with relatives until work resumed. These experiences taught Ton compassion.
“I’ve been there,” Ton said. “We didn’t have a lot but we did what we could do with what we had.”
Ton was born in Francesville, Ind. but has lived in Michigan City most of her life. She met her husband Ronald at Elston High School and they have two children, who also live in Michigan City: Randon Wade Ton and Ronwynn Layne Jones. Grandchildren Jacob Damian Hill, Dustin Wade Hill and Jayde Olyvia Hippen are “the joys of my life,” Ton said.
In addition to enjoying her family, Ton finds time to participate in a lot of community organizations. She was a founding member of the board of directors of Citizens Concerned for the Homeless, a volunteer organization formed in 1991 to provide a homeless shelter for the community. Their efforts lead to establishment of the Sand Castle Shelter for Children and Families. Ton currently serves as board secretary and member of the executive committee that oversees operation of the shelter and the Grace Learning Center, which provides basic education services to adults.
Thirty years ago, Ton helped create United Ministries, an agency that provides food for the hungry, and has been its president for many years. Ton has been a member of the Lions Club for 14 years and serves as membership chair. She received the Lion of the Year Award from the Michigan City club last year and, the same year, was presented with the Working Woman of the Year Award from Business & Professional Women.
The City of Michigan City gave Ton the Humanitarian of the Year Award in 1998. The Salvation Army gave her the Others Award, the organization’s highest citizen award, in 1995.
And the accolades keep coming. In October, Ton was presented with the Michigan City Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds Unity for Service Award, in recognition of her commitment to serving others.
“I try to devote all my time to serving in some way because I think that’s why we’re on earth,” she said.